Say one thing and mean another

According to Wen Lingyi's previous statement, her aunt was expected to stay in Lanyue Bay for about a week. Zhou Jianxing mentally counted the days, and finally, on the evening of the eighth day, he arrived at the familiar carved gate of Lanyue Bay.

Although Wen Lingyi had already recorded her fingerprint for entry and allowed her to come and go freely, Zhou Jianxing still subconsciously chose the most proper way - raising his heavy arm, ringing the doorbell, then taking a step back and waiting quietly.

His fingertips were cold and he clutched the corner of his clothes tightly.

He hadn't seen Wen Lingyi for two whole days, and all his contact information had been ruthlessly blacklisted by her. This complete disconnection almost drove Zhou Jianxing to the brink of madness.

She had also borrowed someone else's cell phone and tremblingly dialed the number she knew by heart. There was only a brief connection prompt from the receiver, and then the call was abruptly hung up as she uttered the first syllable, leaving only a rapid busy tone.

That kind of decisiveness and coldness made her feel cold all over.

Although her heart felt like it was being repeatedly roasted on fire, and the anxiety and pain almost burst through her chest, she still resisted the urge to rush in and question him.

She didn't want to, and wasn't willing to, completely expose her most embarrassing and unbearable side to the person who had once given her infinite tenderness.

Zhou Jianxing chose to stand where he was, using up all his patience to wait for a response that might not even come.

There was complete silence inside the door. Zhou Jianxing took a deep breath, reached out again, and pressed the doorbell forcefully, stubbornly refusing to give up.

She didn't believe that Wen Lingyi could really be so heartless.

After what seemed like a century, there was a slight sound of the door lock turning.

The door was opened a crack from the inside, revealing a strange man's face.

Zhou Jianxing subconsciously frowned and looked at him, a vague sense of familiarity passing through him.

After a brief trance, the fragments of memory were pieced together. She had seen this man, or more accurately, she had seen the image of this man.

In that wedding photo that was once placed on the low cabinet in the entrance hall and was extremely conspicuous, although the photo only showed his silhouette.

After living with Wen Lingyi, one day, she took advantage of her husband's inattention and secretly put the wedding photo into the deepest corner of the locker. It is not known whether Wen Lingyi really didn't notice it, or if she did but didn't care.

In short, she did not raise any objection to this.

In addition, after that stormy night, Zhou Jianxing never saw the dazzling wedding ring on Wen Lingyi's finger again.

The two most glaring clues disappeared one after another, making Zhou Jianxing almost forget that behind the identity of "Mrs. Wen", there was a husband in the legal sense.

Wen Lingyi's correction was correct. She should indeed call her "Mrs. Wen" instead of the more intimate "Sister Wen".

She was the one who lost her mind and completely forgot her position and the invisible shackles on Wen Lingyi.

It turned out that Mrs. Wen suddenly stopped paying attention to her because the real male owner had returned.

Zhou Jianxing's originally swollen emotions filled with grievances and confusion were like a balloon that was blown to its limit. The moment he saw Su Zhe, he was lightly poked by the tip of a needle and completely deflated.

All the resentment and questioning that were clamoring in my heart suddenly died down, leaving only a guilty conscience.

"Who are you looking for?" Su Zhe looked Zhou Jianxing up and down, with a scrutinizing and understanding look in his eyes.

Because Wen Lingyi had been refusing to open the door, he had come to check after being annoyed by the ringing of the doorbell. But seeing Wen Lingyi's evasive attitude just now, he could probably guess who it was. It should be the so-called "girlfriend" that Wen Lingyi mentioned.

Zhou Jianxing took two steps back uncontrollably, lowered his head, and fixed his eyes on the tips of his shoes that had been washed white, completely avoiding the other person's gaze.

Having done something wrong, she lost the courage to even look up.

"I'm looking for..." Zhou Jianxing paused. The name was stuck in his throat like a fishbone, and every swallow was painful. "I'm looking for Mrs. Wen. Is she...at home?"

Seeing Wen Lingyi's evasive attitude just now, Su Zhe was planning to just casually say "She's not here" to get rid of her. However, before he could finish his words, someone took his arm affectionately from behind.

"Hello," Wen Lingyi's voice sounded light and sweet. She almost pressed herself against Su Zhe's side, her head resting lightly on his strong arm. Her eyes fell on Zhou Jianxing outside the door. Her tone was distant and polite, "Master Zhou, what can I do for you?"

Only when he heard Wen Lingyi's voice did Zhou Jianxing suddenly raise his head.

Her eyes quickly swept across the two people who were leaning against each other in front of her. After just one glance, she quickly lowered her head again, and her eyes began to redden instantly.

When Su Zhe and Wen Lingyi stand together, they are indeed a perfect match, both in appearance and temperament.

At this moment, Wen Lingyi was nestled beside her husband like a little bird, her face filled with the happiness of being pampered, her eyebrows curved and her face full of smiles.

The scene before her even gave Zhou Jianxing an illusion, as if the Wen Lingyi who had seduced her, tempted her, and led her deeper and deeper into the quagmire was all just a mirage she had imagined.

"Mrs. Wen," Zhou Jianxing clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her palms. She tried hard to regulate her disordered breathing, trying to make her voice sound as steady as possible, without any tears. "Can I talk to you... alone for a few minutes?"

Wen Lingyi did not answer immediately.

A gaze fell on Zhou Jianxing's head, so heavy that it almost bent her back.

"Hubby," Wen Lingyi suddenly turned around, raised her head without hesitation, and put her lips close to Su Zhe's cheek, but cleverly moved away at the moment of contact. A pair of snow-white arms climbed up Su Zhe's neck affectionately and crossed behind his neck. Her voice was so sweet that it was sickening. "Can you take a shower first? I have something to discuss with Master Zhou. It will be over soon."

Su Zhe's body stiffened for a moment, and an inexplicable chill rose from the soles of his feet.

But as a partner, cooperating with the other party to play this scene well was also part of the contract. So he could only cooperate and reach out to put his arm around Wen Lingyi's slender waist, and bravely pretended to kiss her cheek in return, but Wen Lingyi also avoided it at the last moment with a slight turn of her head.

However, from Zhou Jianxing's perspective, this scene should be intimate enough and there should be no flaws.

"Okay, honey, then hurry up." He deliberately said in an ambiguous and urgent tone, his acting a little exaggerated. "You know how much I miss you. I'm only back for a few days, so I have to seize every minute and every second."

After saying that, he deliberately pinched Wen Lingyi's waist.

Wen Lingyi cooperated by lowering her head, revealing a part of her fair neck. She lightly hit Su Zhe's chest as if shy, and let out a very soft coquettish sound.

Zhou Jianxing swore that she didn't want to see it at all, but her eyes seemed to have their own willpower, and she took in every detail of the "loving" scene at the door that she shouldn't and didn't want to see.

There was a sharp pain in my heart, as if it was pierced by countless fine needles at the same time, leaving only a cold and empty numb feeling.

The thing she had been holding so carefully and cherishing as a treasure was collapsing and shattering irrevocably.

Su Zhe finally turned around and left, leaving only Wen Lingyi and Zhou Jianxing standing opposite each other at the door.

The false liveliness and intimacy just now faded away in an instant, and the air quickly became cold.

"When did he come back?" Zhou Jianxing raised his red eyes and looked straight at Wen Lingyi, his voice dry.

"I've been back a long time." Wen Lingyi crossed her arms over her chest, a distant gesture. She stared at the tip of her slippers, and she couldn't bear to look at Zhou Jianxing any more.

"So, it wasn't your aunt who returned," Zhou Jianxing finally understood at this moment, "it was your husband who returned, right?"

"Yes." Wen Lingyi answered decisively and indifferently.

How dare Zhou Jianxing do that?

After persistent WeChat and phone harassment had proven ineffective, he still dared to go directly to her house to confront her? Was he really going to force her to bring those dirty, shameful things to light? Did he really have to tear the last bit of face apart?

Of course Wen Lingyi wouldn't do that.

That would show how much she cared.

Even if it had to end, she hoped it would at least appear respectable.

And if someone has to bear the blame of "betrayal" in this wrong relationship, she would rather that person be herself.

She would rather be the one who let Zhou Jianxing down.

"You said before that your husband cheated on you and that you no longer have feelings for him," Zhou Jianxing's voice finally began to tremble uncontrollably, like a spider silk broken in the wind. "Those...were all lies to me?"

"Yes." Wen Lingyi finally raised her head and looked at Zhou Jianxing's red eyes. The corners of her mouth even pulled out a charming smile, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "My husband is so outstanding and treats me so well. How could I not have feelings for him?"

"Zhou Jianxing," Wen Lingyi said with some doubt in her tone, "You don't really think I like you, do you?" She smiled softly, "It's just a joke. We're all adults, why do you take it so seriously?"

Zhou Jianxing heard the sound of the last thing supporting her in her heart collapsing, leaving only the deathly silent ruins.

Above the endless ruins, she heard the hollow and desperate echo of her heart.

"Now that he's back, why did you come to see me? Why did you..." She still couldn't figure it out. Was it all fake?

"Oh, that," Wen Lingyi turned her head away, her eyes drifting towards the small fountain standing quietly in the night not far away. It was the beginning of all the mistakes. "It can be considered as a kind of compensation for you."

She paused, her tone becoming ambiguous: "I know, you seem to have always wanted me... so much. How is it, are you satisfied?"

A huge sense of absurdity hit Zhou Jianxing head-on. The area in her nervous system that sensed sadness and sorrow seemed to malfunction in an instant. At this moment, she inexplicably wanted to laugh out loud. The muscles at the corners of her mouth twitched a few times, but in the end she couldn't even make a distorted expression.

No wonder she wasn't allowed in at the end.

It turned out that it was someone else's exclusive forbidden area and she was not allowed to invade.

"Wen Lingyi." Zhou Jianxing rarely called her by her full name.

She had always thought the name Wen Lingyi was very nice. Just by hearing the name, she could imagine what kind of person she was: gentle, beautiful, well-educated, and graceful.

It was tailor-made for Wen Lingyi.

So she fell in love with him hopelessly, like a moth to a flame, and recklessly.

"You said it yourself that you like me." Zhou Jianxing looked at her and stubbornly made the final confirmation. Could it really be that these were just sweet words spoken casually?

Is it possible that there is not even a trace of sincerity mixed in?

Wen Lingyi didn't answer immediately. She slowly raised her right hand, and the dim yet delicate light from the porch illuminated the large diamond ring on her ring finger with brilliant brilliance.

She looked down at the ring and suddenly laughed softly, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"Like you?" She asked in an exaggerated tone, as if she had heard an extremely ridiculous joke, "I just said a few random words to cheer you up, and you took them all seriously?"

Wen Lingyi raised her hand and yawned, seeming to be extremely bored and impatient with the current conversation. "What is it about you that makes me like you? Master Zhou, are you... a little too narcissistic?"

It was a bit strange. According to common sense, Zhou Jianxing should have burst into tears after hearing these heartbreaking words.

But this time, she didn't know if it was because she had cried all day long while being alone at home and daydreaming about the past two days, or if her brain had activated some extreme defense and protection mechanism, temporarily stripping her of all her ability to perceive love and hate.

Zhou Jianxing not only couldn't laugh, he couldn't even cry.

She even found that she couldn't even hate Wen Lingyi.

"If you put it that way," Zhou Jianxing said calmly as he glanced at Wen Lingyi's tired face, "then I won't like you anymore, Wen Lingyi."

So calm? Such a dull reaction? Wen Lingyi sneered inwardly. It seemed that all that so-called affection in the past had indeed been a superb performance.

Wen Lingyi had fallen into trouble again, and was deceived again and again by Zhou Jianxing's seemingly sincere tears.

No wonder, whether it is Zhu Yang or Zhou Jianxing, how can they succeed without good acting skills?

So what does Zhou Jianxing want now? Like Zhu Yang, does he want both a man and a woman?

Even if you get married, you are unwilling to let her go?

"Zhou Jianxing, stop saying things like 'like' or 'dislike' all the time," Wen Lingyi raised her hand, gently covering her lips with her fingertips, and uttered a short, cold laugh. "It's really disgusting."

Disgusted? Zhou Jianxing frowned and lowered his head deeply.

If you thought she was disgusting, why did you come to provoke her in the first place?

She didn't like women at all, let alone have any improper thoughts about a married woman.

Yes, it is really disgusting to be entangled like this now. Even she looks down on herself.

But, Wen Lingyi, what qualifications do you have to say such things?

Zhou Jianxing stopped talking and just stared at Wen Lingyi's face silently and stubbornly, trying to see what more hurtful words she could say.

It would be best if those words could make her feel so much pain that her brain would automatically activate protection and completely format and delete all memories of Wen Lingyi from her life.

"Please explain it more clearly," Wen Lingyi smiled, pursing her lips. "My husband was abroad before, and it was really boring to be alone. You're a woman, so there's no harm in playing with you. It's just a way to kill time anyway."

She deliberately continued in a frivolous tone: "But didn't I make you feel good too? Let's just consider it as a mutual benefit. Also, to be honest, your skills... are really bad." She even shook her head with a hint of regret.

Wen Lingyi chose the most vicious and hurtful words in an attempt to completely crush Zhou Jianxing's self-esteem, in order to prove that she was still in control of the situation and invincible.

"This is over between us. It's completely over." Wen Lingyi said firmly, leaving no room for maneuver. "So, Master Zhou, please don't harass me in any way in the future. Please save some dignity, okay?"

"If you feel unbalanced and want some compensation," Wen Lingyi paused, "you can ask directly for any amount of money you want. After all, I also have a certain responsibility for this matter developing to this point."

"Take the money, and then we'll be even. It's better for everyone."

All the harsh words Wen Lingyi said today were not as hurtful to Zhou Jianxing as the last sentence, "Take the money, and then we'll be even."

"So, Lingyi, is this how you think of me?" Zhou Jianxing put his hands over his chest, feeling as if it had been hollowed out, with a chilling breeze blowing through it. "Keep your money. I won't bother you anymore."

She took one last look at Wen Lingyi, her eyes empty, as if she was looking at a stranger.

"I hope you...and your husband, are happy."

After saying this, she turned around and slowly walked away, step by step, along the way she had come. Her back was stretched out under the streetlight, looking particularly thin and lonely.